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Racinos Continue Live Dealer Push

Last updated on Thursday, March 28, 2013

(STATEHOUSE) - After losing in one House committee, Indiana’s horse-racing tracks are taking their case for full-fledged casino gambling to another.

Hoosier Park in Anderson and Indiana Grand in Shelby County already have electronic versions of blackjack, roulette, craps and other table games. They're asking legislators to authorize live dealers and croupiers for those games.

Centaur Gaming president Jim Brown says a Hoosier Park-commissioned study finds live games would attract new customers who won't play the electronic versions.

He acknowledges beefing up the two racinos would eat into the profits of existing casinos in Lawrenceburg and elsewhere. But he contends the state would see a net gain of 600 jobs.

Anderson and Shelby County's House delegation -- Representatives Jack Lutz (R-Anderson), Terri Austin (D-Anderson) and Sean Eberhart (R-Shelbyville) -- joined Brown in urging the House Ways and Means Committee to restore the table-game provision. The Senate has already passed it, but the House Public Policy Committee deleted it last week.

Racino advocates may have to wait to make their case to the full House. The legislature's fiscal committees are usually reluctant to directly contradict policy stands taken by other committees.

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